UAE launches new stage of CBRN crime capacity-building programme
The United Arab Emirates' Federal Public Prosecution has announced the launch of preparatory activities for phase three of a regional specialised programme on CBRN criminal investigations. The programme is taking place under the patronage of Emirati attorney-general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, as part of a strategic partnership with the European Union.
The opening session of the prosecutors' training day was attended by the guest of honour, Lucie Berger, ambassador of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates, at the invitation of the regional secretariat of the CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence.
In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) during an interview at her office at the EU Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Berger said that the EU has "very great cooperation" with the United Arab Emirates in area of CBRN crimes, and that it wants to "leverage this bilateral cooperation and build it into a regional one".
"Working with UAE hand in hand, could help us to build a collaboration not only in the GCC, but across all the Arab states. That's, I think, what we would like to see going forward," she added.
"We do have a lot of best practices across the European Union, because, we have the advantage of having 27 member states who already cooperate together quite a lot. And I think this is how we try to contribute to the UAE's evolving environment when it comes to prosecution of CBRN cases.
"We share what we do, and we share what we've learned over the years, but I also think that we are at the stage that we learn also from the UAE, and we try to take it also into account into our ways of dealing with CBRN cases."
About the challenges in area of CBRN related crimes, the ambassador said: "I think, currently, one of the greatest challenges is also that it's an area that keeps evolving. We have new technologies implicated in CBRN related crimes. This is also where we need to continuously work together, and we have to continue build capacity, but also, we have to continue learning how to, and inventing how to handle such crimes."
The ambassador concluded, "In European Union, we are increasingly focusing on our own security, and we're building capacities, and we're looking for partners, with whom we can work on security related measures as well."
The wider initiative forms part of wider initiative to strengthening national and regional preparedness, while enhancing investigative and prosecutorial mechanisms in line with internationally recognised standards.
Phase three of the capacity-building programme will shift focus from theoretical foundations to practical implementation of investigating CBRN crimes, prioritising the development of integrated, prosecutable CBRN case files supported by forensic evidence and aligned with judicial procedures.
Gulf News writes that the continuation of the programme "reflects the Federal Public Prosecution’s strategic commitment to strengthening institutional readiness in handling high-risk CBRN cases. This is being achieved through specialised training programmes, enhanced national coordination and sustained international partnerships that support the criminal justice system."
